On the phone: …n dago? and -iezadazu
The phone question "is he home, is he in place" is assembled simply: the place takes the case -n, and to it — dago: Aita etxean dago? — is father home?, kodea pantailan dago — the code is on the screen. Wave 1 knew non dago? — where?; here is the same frame, but about a person and his place. For example: “Aita etxean dago? Dei iezadazu, mesedez” — Is father home? Call me, please. A rule from the Basque course…
How it works
The phone question "is he home, is he in place" is assembled simply: the place takes the case -n, and to it — dago: Aita etxean dago? — is father home?, kodea pantailan dago — the code is on the screen. Wave 1 knew non dago? — where?; here is the same frame, but about a person and his place.
A polite request on the phone is built on -iezadazu — "do it for me": dei iezadazu — call me, esan iezadazu — tell me, pasa iezadazu — pass it to me. And when inviting, one takes the zaitez familiar from the base (Etor zaitez — do come): Etor zaitez zazpietan — come by at seven. The difference is seen in the ending: -zaitez — "you do it", -iezadazu — "let them do it for me".
Table
| the phrase | the form | the example |
|---|---|---|
| is he home | …n dago? | Aita etxean dago? — is father home? |
| do it for me | -iezadazu | dei iezadazu — call me |
| do come | zaitez / zaitezte | Etor zaitez — do come |
By example
- Aita etxean dago? Dei iezadazu, mesedezIs father home? Call me, please
- Etor zaitez zazpietan, afaria prest egongo daCome by at seven, dinner will be ready
- Esan iezadazu kodea, eta barruan naizTell me the code, and I am inside
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
On the phone: how does it work in Basque?
The phone question "is he home, is he in place" is assembled simply: the place takes the case -n, and to it — dago: Aita etxean dago? — is father home?, kodea pantailan dago — the code is on the screen. Wave 1 knew non dago? — where?; here is the same frame, but about a person and his place.
What does it look like in an example sentence Basque?
“Aita etxean dago? Dei iezadazu, mesedez” — Is father home? Call me, please. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.